Trick or Treat by the Numb3rs
by Jelsemium
Summary: Larry learns that one good turn deserves another. This is the sequel to Larry's Life o'Larceny. It was posted on Numb3rs dot org last November. So, yes, it's late again. But what better excuse to dig into that stash of Halloween candy?
1. Chapter 1

Trick or Treat by the Numb3rs

The sequel to Larry's Life o' Crime

By Jelsemium

Rating: K

Disclaimer: So not mine

Comment: I wrote this last year during lunch on Halloween, but didn't have time to beta or upload it, so it was late being posted to Numb3rs dot org last year. Then I posted some other Halloween stories this year, so once again, it's late.

Hope you had Happy AllHallows Day. If you have any Halloween candy left, this will give you a good excuse to dig into it.

* * *

Larry Fleinhardt's office was filled with fascinating doo-dads and gizmortifracts. Every time that Charlie Eppes had a few moments to poke around Larry's office, he found something new. 

Today, however, Charlie was more interested in something old. Specifically, he was leaning over and inspecting Larry's hamster cage. "I see you found homes for Houdini's babies," he observed.

Larry looked up from the sheaf of calculations that Charlie had worked out for him. "Ah, yes," he said. "My TA wanted one because it was the only type of pet he could fit into his apartment. Your father's partner wanted two for the office. He is planning a little Hamster Town for clients to look at should they be kept waiting for more than a few minutes."

"That's three," Charlie murmured.

"Amita's soon to be former roommate asked for one. She wanted a pet that was as vegetarian as she," Larry recounted. He scratched his pale curls. "Um, oh, yes, Mildred wanted one, too." He grinned suddenly. "I made all the 'adoptive parents' sign a form of intent and a pledge to keep the hamsters in a non-serpentine environment."

Charlie was frowning. "Larry, that's only five. What happened to the sixth?"

Larry gestured to the hamster cage. "That is the sixth. Houdini, alas, is no longer with me."

Charlie's eyes went wide. "You mean…" he hesitated.

"She escaped," Larry interjected. "I guess her free spirit declined to allow itself to be kept captive, even by a friend."

"Oh," Charlie sighed with relief, although he was unsure of why he was concerned about a short lived rodent anyway.

"This is Stuart," Larry added. "I decided to keep one of the males."

Charlie nodded. "Easier, I guess. No more babies to worry about." He straightened up and began fiddling with the hamster ball that was sitting on the desk. "By the way, did Viola ever figure out that you took her hamster?"

"Well, she strongly suspected that my new pets and her snake's missing dinner may have been related in some way," Larry admitted. He set down Charlie's calculations and shuffled through the papers on his desk.

"She sent me an invoice," he said. "Ah, here it is." He held up a letter. "She billed me for seven hamsters… payable in chocolate."

Charlie laughed. "Very appropriate for this time of year," he said. "What did you send her?"

"A box of Chocolate Frogs," Larry said. "Enough for her and her hard working students." He went back to reading.

"Ah, good thought," Charlie said.

Larry didn't respond because he had just been distracted by a document that was sitting on top of his desk.

Charlie took that as his cue to leave. "Don't forget the Halloween party," he said as a matter of form. He'd come back later to remind Larry. Assuming, of course, that he remembered.


	2. Chapter 2

Larry didn't understand why he was impressed with Charlie's calculations. Charlie's work was always exceptionally well-crafted. There was no reason to expect otherwise. Still, Larry thought, these were not just going to help him immensely, they were works of art.

He looked at his clock. The Eppes Halloween party would be starting in ninety-three minutes. He had plenty of time to get over to the Craftsman. However, he expected that Charlie would drop by in two or three minutes to remind him of the event.

Larry looked at his watch. If the Charlie didn't arrive in the next eight minutes, then he would go to the mathematician's office to remind him of the event.

He heard someone enter and a small smirk crossed his face. In some ways, Charlie was so predictable. He turned around and the smile vanished.

The newcomer was not Charles Edward Eppes.

In fact, he wasn't sure who it was, because he was under the impression that Marilyn Monroe was deceased. Therefore, this armed intruder was obviously wearing a mask.

"Oh, my," was the only thing he could think of to say.

"Give me all your money," "Marilyn" snarled.

Under other circumstances, being threatened by a buxom blonde wearing a strapless red dress and high heeled red sandals might have been amusing.

The size of her handgun took the humor right out of this situation.

He reached into his pocket for his wallet. "I don't carry a lot of cash," he said worriedly.

"Not your wallet," snapped "Marilyn". "Everybody knows that you live in your office. You don't like ATMs. Therefore, you have a large stash of cash here somewhere. Give it to me or I will shoot your kneecaps."

At least, she wasn't planning on homicide. Somehow that wasn't a comforting thought. Especially as his distaste for Automatic Teller Machines did not extend to the institutions that used them. As it happened, he had less than thirty dollars in cash in his office, most of that in change for the vending machines.

Larry sighed and rummaged around his desk. "Um, I have the key to my cashbox around here…"

Just then, Larry heard someone else approaching his door. "It would be very unfortunate if Charlie should walk in on this and get shot," Larry thought.

"Marilyn" heard the footsteps, too and turned slightly to keep an eye on the door.

Just then there was movement at floor level. A pale gold form streaked across the room and over "Marilyn's" foot.

"Marilyn" shrieked and fired without thinking.

Charlie burst in seconds later. "Larry!" he said. He stopped short, just inside the door.

Larry ran around the desk. "Charles, I believe a 9-1-1 call is in order," he said, forcing himself to remain calm.

* * *

Later, at the Eppes Halloween party, Don gave Charlie a hard time for rushing into a room where a gun had just been fired. "Idiot," he said. "What did you think you were going to do when you got there?" 

Charlie blushed.

Larry jumped in. "Well, I'm grateful that Charles attempted to rush to my rescue," he said. "And he was very useful in helping me staunch the bleeding of the mugger."

"So, she shot her own foot?" Alan asked. "Why'd she do that?"

"Well, she felt something run over it," Larry explained. "It turns out that this young lady has a phobia about rats and so overreacted."

"You have rats in your office?" Megan asked.

"No, just an escaped hamster," Larry said. He paused. "I'm going to make sure there is water and food for Houdini, if she decides to continue to haunt my workspace."

"Where did you get a hamster?" David asked.

Larry smiled. "I rescued her from the biology department," he said.

"Looks like she decided to return the favor," Alan observed.

"I'll drink to that," Charlie said, raising his beer.

They all raised their drinks in a toast.

"To friends in need!"


End file.
